American blueswoman (1928-2009). Real name:
Cora Walton. Her mother died in 1939, and she helped out on her father's farm, along with her other siblings. Soon afterward, she got her
nickname due to the fact that she loved
chocolate so much.
Koko got her musical start singing
gospel music in the local Baptist church, but she and her siblings enjoyed playing
blues together on
homemade instruments. She married
Robert "Pops" Taylor, a
truck driver, in 1953; they moved to
Chicago to look for work. Pops ended up working in a
slaughterhouse, while Koko worked as a
housemaid. Pops and Koko both enjoyed
Chicago's blues scene -- both were
musicians, and Pops encouraged Koko to sit in with some of the bands. She was a popular
singer in Chicago and met songwriter
Willie Dixon in 1962. He produced her first single, "
Honky Tonky," in 1963, then helped her get a
record contract with
Chess Records. In 1964, her first single for Chess, "
Wang Dang Doodle," sold over a million copies and established her as a major force in the blues world.
As Koko's
popularity grew, she and Pops were able to quit their day jobs. They put together a
backup band called the
Blues Machine, and Pops became the
manager for Koko and the group. Koko's first full
album, a
self-titled record, was released in 1969, followed by "
Basic Soul" in 1972. She also put together a live album from a
performance at the '72
Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival.
After Chess went under in 1975, Koko signed with
Alligator Records and produced "
I Got What It Takes," which earned her a
Grammy nomination. Over the next couple of decades, she continued to be fairly popular, pulling in crowds, winning a Grammy, and winning a huge number of
W.C. Handy Awards.
In 1988, Koko and Pops were both injured in a van accident; Koko broke her shoulder, her collarbone, and several ribs, while Pops had a
heart attack -- his
health declined rapidly, and he died a few months later. After recovering, Koko made a
comeback at the annual
Chicago Blues Festival, released two new albums (called "
Jump for Joy" and "
Force of Nature"), then took a seven-year break from
recording. She toured extensively and remarried before releasing a new 2000 album, "
Royal Blue," which featured a slew of
guest stars. She's also had several
cameo roles in movies, including
David Lynch's "
Wild at Heart," "
Blues Brothers 2000," and the
Bruce Willis stinker "
Mercury Rising."
Long praised as the
Queen of the Blues, Koko has a big, bold,
brassy voice that brings to mind singers like
Bessie Smith,
Ma Rainey, and
Big Mama Thornton, but her hard-edged voice didn't prevent her from showing every
emotion possible in her
music, from
sadness to
anger to
tenderness. She could
belt out a song like nobody's business -- and she continued to tour and
blow the roof off of clubs, which was pretty damn
impressive for someone in her 80s...
Discography:
Research from www.allmusic.com and www.imdb.comAddendum: Earthen adds:
"'Wang Dang Doodle' (Checker 1135) was her sole R&B chart single; it entered the charts in 1966 (not 1964, though it may well have been recorded then) and reached the top position of #4. It was written, produced, and had backing vocals by blues (guitar) legend Willie Dixon who also recorded frequently for Checker/Chess Records." Daaamn, I think he knew all that off the top of his head! ;)